


Realization and Loss

by Shootmesenpai



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst and Humor, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Eventual Relationships, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Aomine Daiki, Slow Burn, cute idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-09 10:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7798693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shootmesenpai/pseuds/Shootmesenpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aomine realizes he is experiencing his first crush and it just so happens to be on his best friend. He decides the best way to tackle this problem is to just ignore it until it goes away. At least until he explodes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chance Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic and since Aomine has always been my favorite I thought I would try writing for him to see how it went. I plan on following fairly close to canon with lines and scenes being used from the series. The first chapter is a bit slow but I promise it gets a bit more exciting later!! Currently, this is just an Aomine x Kuroko story. If I can somehow keep up this momentum I intend to continue their story into high school and add in Aomine x Kuroko x Kagami relationship development. I hope you all like it, thanks for the support!

It was the first day of classes and the courtyard at Teiko middle school was buzzing with activity. Everyone had on bright faces as they ran around signing up for clubs trying to find a place where they might belong. The sun shone brightly as the wind gently blew sakura petals across the faces of people smiling and laughing.  Among the incoming crowd was Aomine Daiki, a boy whose light illuminated stronger than his fellow classmates. His smile radiated and he caught the eyes of those that passed him by. It wasn't only his bright optimistic smile that drew stares, he was tall compared to others and his skin was dark and rich. Walking alongside him was Momoi Satsuki, a charming girl with a small frame and hair as beautiful as the cherry blossoms that encircled the school.  

  
Momoi smiled and looked up at the dark skinned boy, "So Dia-chan, have you decided which club you want to join? There are so many to choose from!"

  
The tall boy gave her a side glance, the choice should have been evident.  

  
"Really Satsuki? I think we have known each other long enough that it should be obvious. The basketball club is the only option. Plus I heard that this school actually has a pretty strong team so I am looking forward to it."  

  
The two continued to stroll along through the courtyard discussing their plans for the future, the surrounding voices continued to grow louder. Then suddenly Aomine felt something hit his arm.

  
"Oh, I'm sorry, excuse me." said a small almost inaudible voice.  

  
Aomine turned around to discover where the phantom voice came from but when he looked around there was no one in sight.  

  
 -----------

A week later and the placement test for the basketball club was finally here. Aomine could barely contain his excitement, he had been playing since he was a kid but had never really been on a team before. He was eager to play with others who loved basketball as much as he did and it was always fun to find people who were better than him. Aomine arrived in the gym to the familiar scent of rubber and sneakers. He could hear the shoes squeaking on the freshly polished floor as the harsh fluorescent light reflected off the rim of the hoop. He overheard the other participants talking amongst themselves as they warmed up and got to know each other. It wasn't long before the couch arrived and explained the system for placement. The crowd grew restless as they began murmuring to one another.  

  
"I hear no first years ever make it on the first string roster!"

  
"Seriously?!"

  
"Well, then I guess we should shoot for second string and hope for the best."  

  
The group continued to chatter away but Aomine didn't let this discourage him, he had confidence in his abilities. He was gunning for first string no matter what the others said. The placement tests went exactly as he expected. They demonstrated their passing, dribbling, shooting, and teamwork skills with various combinations of people. The coaches remained on the side keeping a watchful eye and making notes when they saw something "noteworthy." An hour passed and all the boring stuff finally came to an end and the results were given. It felt like an eternity of waiting, he might actually die before his name is called. They went through the list of third-string members, no name yet, then the second string, still no Aomine Daiki. There was a silence,  

  
"Finally the first string members."

  
The crowd began to fidget and glare at one another to discover who remained.  

  
"Midorima Shintaro, Murasakibara Atsushi, Akashi Seijuro, and Aomine Daiki. That is all, thank you."

  
The four of them remained on the court while their surrounding classmates looked on in disbelief. Aomine appeared cool and collected but on the inside he was itching with uncontrollable enthusiasm.  

  
\-----------

  
The following day Aomine was walking around the school grounds long after practice had ended looking for a place to unwind. The work out with everyone went well enough but he felt it wasn't nearly long enough. He searched around the various gyms that Teiko had to offer but they were all filled with people and he was really hoping to have a whole court to himself. He began walking towards the last gym on his list, the outside was quiet and he didn't see anyone around. He wondered why this particular gym seemed so deserted. It looked just as good as all of the others so why was it seemingly abandoned? He cautiously walked in and instantly regretted the decision. Standing in the middle of the court was a small pale boy holding a basketball. The harsh overhead lights bounced off his pale skin and made him appear as if he was glowing.  

Aomine suddenly remembered that Satsuki had told him about the rumors that a ghost was haunting this gym. He instantly dropped down to his knees and turned his back to the figure. He covered his ears and began to murmur nonsense,  

  
"It can't get you if you can't hear it right!? I'm sure I have heard that somewhere before right?!?!! NANANNANANA."  

  
Then he felt something touch his shoulder and he turned around slowly, tears in his eyes.  

  
"Aomine-kun.....?"

  
When he finally turned it wasn't a ghost that stood before him but a small boy that looked about his age. He had large soulful eyes and pale blue hair that was only accented by his pure white skin. Aomine remained speechless for a moment and thought to himself, _this isn't a ghost right?_  

  
He slowly stood up and looked down at the boy.  

  
"H-h-hey, sorry I didn't mean to scream at you or anything. There is just a rumor floating around that there is a ghost in this gym and when I saw you I just....you know...yeah."  

  
He cleared his throat and straightened up before reaching up to scratch his head.  

 

"What are you doing here this late anyway?"  

  
The pale boy looked at him, "I'm just getting in some extra practice. I am currently on the third string so I was looking to improve my skills in the hope of advancing to the second string."

  
"Wow! That's really impressive, there isn't even anyone on first string that stays this late to practice."  

  
Aomine's smile widened at the thought that he might have found someone who loves basketball as much as him.  

  
"Oh by the way, how did you know my name? We haven't met before right?"  

  
"No we have not met before today. Everyone, including myself, is simply aware of you due to your position as a starter on the first string."

  
Well, he probably should have guessed that. He glanced quickly to the side and then back at the smaller figure.   

  
"Oh well, what about you?"

  
The boy looked at him with a blank expression.

  
"As I previously stated I am on the third string."  

  
"No dude I mean your name? What is your name?”

  
Aomine thought the boy was a little bizarre in that moment.  

  
"My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

  
Aomine was still a little skeptical but the prospect of meeting someone who shared his passion for basketball was too much to pass up. He was enthusiastic to discover what would come from this newly formed acquaintanceship.  

  
He held out his fist, a sign of a new bond forming.

 

"Nice to meet you Tetsu!"

  
Kuroko held out his fist in response. A small smile finally graced the small boys seemingly vacant face. The two smiled and their fists met. The echo of their laughter bounced off the gym walls and disappeared into the night.  

  
\-----------

  
In the days to come the two of them would not meet on the court but instead see each other more frequently in the halls of Teiko. They would always smile and wave at one another as they passed. Aomine found those small moments to be the more exhilarating part of his day since school never really held his attention.  

  
He sat at his seat in class near the window and looked out at the trees. Aomine's thoughts weren't on the changing of the seasons, or even the English that his teacher was writing on the board, but instead, it was about playing basketball. He imagined dribbling past giant idol woman, all of them over 10 feet tall with short skirts and large breasts. He was weaving in and out of their wide stances and looking up as he passed beneath them. He was scoring one basket after another as the woman tried to catch him in their enormous grasp. The pleasant images lulled him to sleep and he found himself smiling as he got into a comfortable position with his head rested upon his hand.  

  
Soon enough the bell finally marked the end of class as well as the end of his nap. He got up quickly and grabbed his bag before heading towards the gym.  

  
\-----------

  
The practice ended for the day but Aomine still remained unsatisfied. He was really hoping for a tough session that he could have channeled all that nap energy into; but, instead it fell a little short and as usual he found himself wandering around looking for someplace to go. At times like these he would usually head towards Maji Burger or to the local streetball court but he definitely had more excess energy then those could help with. Maybe he could convince Satsuki into going to the bookstore with him and buy the new Horikita Mai photobook. He could proabably use some new shoes too. He pulled out his phone and as he began typing he remembered that she had to help the coach with some extra paperwork after practice today. He quickly closed it and leaned against the wall.

   
"Damn, she probably isn't even close to done with all that crap yet. Well, now what the hell am I gonna do?"

  
He looked around in sullen silence and until he was struck with the most obvious idea. He straightened up, grabbed his stuff, and ran towards the abandoned gym on the far side of school. When he finally arrived he looked in through the doors and saw Kuroko shooting baskets from the free throw line. He stood and watched Kuroko shoot for a while, he had a solid 3/10 baskets before Aomine couldn't wait any longer. He sprinted in with a huge grin plastered across his face.

  
"Oi Tetsu!!"

    
"Oh hello Aomine-kun"

    
"Getting in some extra practice again? Mind if we play some one-on-one or something?"

  
"I would very much like that. Are you sure though? I can leave if you would like some extra practice time to yourself."

   
Aomine just remained smiling and wrapped an arm around Kuroko's shoulder.

   
"Don't be an idiot! Of course I want to play with you. If I didn't then I wouldn't have said anything right?"

  
The small boy nodded once again and walked to the opposite side of the gym. He began dribbling the basketball that he was holding in his hands moments before.  

  
"Well if you are sure then." Kuroko's vacant expression soon became sharp as he bent down lower into a power stance.

  
"Prepare for the worst."

  
Aomine matched the stance and began readying himself. He could feel his heart pounding harder.  

  
Kuroko began to dribble faster and then in one fluid motion he moved forward and closed the gap between them. Aomine watched it as if it was all happening in slow motion. The small boy effortlessly moved passed him. He turned around as fast as he could only to see that small back moving further away. When Aomine was finally able to move his body and reach out towards the ball there was a sudden stop.  

  
"Ow, that hurt." He looked down to see Kuroko kneeling on the gym floor rubbing his leg. He had dribbled the ball incorrectly and ended up smacking it against his own knee.  

  
Aomine could only stand there. Once again unable to move due to the sheer shock of what he had just witnessed.  

  
"What the hell was that?" He put out his hands to either side. "I was expecting something awesome just now. Why did act all cool and say to prepare for the worst?"

  
Kuroko looked up at him with yet another empty expression.  

  
"I told you to prepare for the worst since I am still inexperienced. You do remember that I am on the third string correct? I was just trying to give you an honest outlook."

  
All Aomine could think about was how strange this small boy who stood before him was. What was he supposed to do in this situation? The awkward silence was broken by a soft voice.

   
"Well umm, I guess we should probably stop then."  

  
Kuroko looked down at the ball in his hands. A look of noticeable disappointment written across his face. Aomine was pretty dense sometimes but even he could see that Tetsu was upset. He grabbed the ball and began walking towards the far end of the court.   

  
"Come on! Let's try that again, you're definitely not getting past me this time!" He turned and smiled at his friend standing on the court.   

  
Aomine began to dribble the ball in the same way that Tetsu had only moments before. The two of them met eye to eye. Aomine's instincts started kicking in and his body felt like it was humming. He prepared himself and began shifting the weight to one foot, he watched Tetsu's eyes follow his movement. When he thought he had tricked him he shifted his weight to the other foot and attempted to swiftly move around him. Then, as if by magic, Tetsu appeared in front of him again. Aomine knew that he had followed that fake just now, how did he show back up so quickly? Did Tetsu know what he was planning? He quickly reacted to the confrontation and stepped back only to push forward and move around the boy in one fluid move.  

  
Kuroko remained on the court with his jaw open in awe.  

  
"Wow that was amazing Aomine-kun!"  

  
Aomine looked at Tetsu, his big blue eyes staring up at him. He found himself suddenly embarrassed at words he had heard people say many times before. He reached up and scratched his head.  

  
"Thanks I guess. Want to play another round?"

  
The pale boy nodded impatiently and the two continued to play until their bodies were sore and their shirts were soaked. They headed out the gym doors and Kuroko turned to lock the doors. The night air was cold against Aomine's sweat ladened shirt. He shivered when a strong breeze came across the empty courtyard.  

  
"Well good night Aomine-kun, I must return this to the staff room before they all leave for the night." Kuroko bowed down at a shallow angle and headed in the direction of the staff office.  

  
"Oi Tetsu! Wait a second!" Aomine sprinted towards him.  

  
"Let me get your number so we can meet up and do this again sometime."

  
"Oh yes I would very much like that."

  
They exchanged numbers and once again began to walk their separate ways. Aomine looked on until Tetsu could no longer be seen, a smirk appeared on his face before eventually turning to head home for the night.  

  
\-----------

  
After school the following day Aomine was heading towards his favorite burger place to grab something to eat before heading home. He knew his mom was working late that night and he definitely didn't want to have eggs over rice for the third night in a row. He walked in and ordered the usual: 3 large Teriyaki burger meals and a drink. As he tried to leave he got caught on the door and couldn't shake it loose.  

  
"Oi, what the hell door!"

  
A helping hand reached out from behind and pushed open the door. He turned to thank the stranger and was instead greeted by Kuroko with his usual barren expression. Aomine instinctively jumped back with his eyes wide open and nearly dropped all his food in the process.   

  
"Oh shit! What the hell are you doing here?!"   

  
"I enjoy the vanilla milkshakes they serve here."  

  
Kuroko lifted up his drink to take a sip. He appeared to be in some kind of lactose filled ecstasy.  

  
"Oh well, do you live around here too? I was just heading home. Do you want to walk together or something?"

  
The small boy nodded and they both set off towards a local park to eat and talk.

  
\-----------

  
"Hey, I have a question for you?" Aomine blurted it out between bites of his burger.  

  
"How did you know I was gonna do a fake in the one-on-one we played yesterday?"

  
Kuroko looked down at the ground. Aomine could see a faint shade of red blooming on the boy's ears.  

  
"I don't know. It was just a feeling really. I thought you might try a fake so I just followed you and got lucky I guess."  

  
Aomine looked at him with questioning eyes. _Did I just imagine it before?_ There was no way that was just luck alone. He had to have anticipated that or else he wouldn't have been fast enough. Aomine could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He had never met someone like this before, Tetsu was such a mystery to him and he just wanted to find out what other secrets he could be hiding.  

  
"Alright, I have decided!" He stood up and pointed a finger towards Kuroko who was aimlessly drinking his milkshake.  

  
"You and I are gonna practice together every day until we can share the same court!"

  
Kuroko looked at Aomine with his large eyes, the street lights reflecting off of them made them appear to sparkle.   

  
"What? Really? This is very unexpected....are you sure you want to do something like that?"  

  
Aomine just looked at him and beamed a huge smile before holding his fist out towards the small boy.  

  
"Yea idiot, I'm definitely sure! No one who plays basketball can be a bad guy and I have a feeling that we are gonna get along great."

  
Kuroko remained speechless, he just returned the fist bump with a bright smile and a nod of approval.  

 

\-----------

  
The next few weeks were great and Aomine couldn’t have been happier. Sure classes were boring but it gave him time to sleep and rest up for practice. He played hard, winding his way through his teammates and smiling the entire time. Basketball was the one place he could really lose himself. It had been like that for him since he was young. When he was running on that polished court, the feeling of the rubber in his hands, it was as if he didn't have a single care in the world. Sometimes he felt entirely weightless, almost as if he would lose his footing and float right off the court. He never wanted the feeling to end yet it always came to a close eventually and he was forced back to reality. He cleared his mind, snatched up his things, and headed towards the convenience store to grab some food before heading to hang out with Tetsu. 

 

Aomine finally arrived at the gym with a full stomach and lots of energy. When he entered an empty gym he looked up at the clock and realized that he was a little early. He threw his stuff in the corner and decided to shoot some baskets to kill time. His mind started to wander and think about what to talk about when Tetsu arrived. Usually, he just lets the conversation make itself but lately he found himself being a little more conscious of certain things when they hung out. He continued shooting baskets unaware of the time. When he finally looked up at the clock he realized that is was 15 minutes after the time they usually meet. Aomine began looking around and wondering if everything was alright. He grabbed his phone out of his bag. 

 

"Should I text him?"

 

Suddenly he heard footsteps walking into the gym. Aomine looked up with a smile, "Oi Tetsu, where have you been? I was starting to get bored."

 

When he finally saw Kuroko he looked like he was on the verge of tears. The corners of his eyes were red he wouldn't look up from the ground. Aomine ran towards him. 

 

"Tetsu what wrong? Is everything okay?!" He looked at his friend with compassionate eyes. Waiting for an answer.

  
Kuroko did not look towards him, he quietly spoke, "I think I am going to quit basketball."  

  
"What?! Why?! I thought basketball was everything to you?"

  
"I truly do love basketball, but apparently I am unable to be of any use to my fellow teammates and I don't want to continue if I am to remain in their way"    

  
"What do you mean useless? No one on a team is useless! You stay after later than everyone and you work harder than anybody I know."  

  
He bent down and looked at Kuroko directly. They just stared at one another for a moment. Aomine had so much to say and he didn't know where to begin. He still couldn't wrap his head around what was going on so he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  

  
"Tetsu......I can't guarantee that with hard work you will succeed but if you give up now then you'll never know." He paused and stepped closer to the person he had grown so close to during these last few months. "Please Tetsu, don't give up....... I-I don't want you to quit."

  
He looked at Kuroko with determination, his expression unwavering. The gym was so silent that a pin dropping would have sounded like a gunshot. Aomine could see Tetsu's eyes glued to the floor. He was unable to read any emotion on his face. Then the small boy slowly looked up and stared back at him, a hint of something in the corner of his eyes. Neither of the boys knew what to say to each other in that moment. Aomine wanted to break this stalemate and then, without thinking, he suddenly pulled Kuroko by the arm and embraced him.  

  
Nothing. Only silence filled the air.

  
"Aomine-kun?" his voice cracked slightly but Kuroko didn't fight it, he just hugged back.  

  
They remained in this embrace for a moment, neither of them flinching. The only sound was their soft breath against one another. It wasn't until they both heard footsteps advancing towards them that they quickly broke the hug and looked towards the sound. At the gym doors approached three figures. Aomine recognized them immediately as his fellow teammates from first string.  

  
"Aomine-kun, is this where you have been hiding after practice recently?"  

  
The words came from the vice-captain of first string, Akashi Seijuro. He was the same age as Aomine but he had a mature confidence and a piercing expression. Akashi always had a reserved smile that made him feel uncomfortable, like he was constantly planning something. It was pretty creepy but other than that he really didn't really have any complaints.   

  
"Yea I have been coming here because the other gyms are always so crowded. This is where the two of us have been practicing for a while."  

  
"Two of us?"  

  
Akashi looked confused and then the group slowly turned to look at Kuroko, almost as if they had not even seen him in the first place. They all seemed curious but no one said anything until suddenly,  

  
"I'm slightly interested in him." Akashi broke the silence and fixed his eyes on Kuroko.  

  
"May I have moment of your time to discuss something?"  

  
Kuroko looked back at Aomine with weary eyes but he complied and the two of them walked off to the other end of the gym. The dark skinned boy was left alone with his remaining team members and for some reason he felt uneasy about the two of them talking alone. That thought was soon interrupted by the loud crunching of chips behind him. He turned and was faced with Murasakibara Atsushi, a giant with a bottomless stomach. The only time Aomine had seen Murasakibara without a snack was when he was playing basketball and even then he complained that he didn't have one. He always liked playing against Murasakibara since his height offered a great challenge for scoring but beyond that the two of them rarely talked. 

  
"So.....mine-chin who was that child you were hanging out with?" He looked down at Aomine with a dull expression between his handfuls of chips.  

  
"Don't be so rude with your inquiries and stop eating those snacks so loudly. The sound is reverberating off the walls and you shouldn't even have snacks on the gym floor in the first place."  

  
The complaints were coming from Midorima Shintarou, another boy the same age as Aomine but like Akashi he had a mature aura around him, minus the creepy stare. He was the complete opposite of Murasakibara, Midorima was clean and neat. He always had his fingers wrapped tightly to prevent injury to his nails and he never seen without his lucky item. Aomine thought it was weird at first, every day he would come to practice with a new strange thing. One day is was a stuffed frog, the next it was a phone book, even the other day he had a small wooden Tanuki statue with giant balls. Even in this awkward situation the memory made Aomine chuckle a little, which only seemed to aggravate Midorima more.  

  
"What is it that you find so funny?" Midorima glared towards him while pushing up his glasses.

  
Aomine quickly came out of his ball memory and was launched back to the present only to discover that Kuroko and Akashi were still talking and he was still surrounded. He tried to drown out the arguing that soon commenced behind him. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Akashi and Kuroko came back to the others. Akashi corralled the everyone and waved goodbye as he gracefully left the gym. Aomine turned to Kuroko,  

  
"What the hell was that all about?" He waited impatiently for a response.  

  
"Akashi-kun just gave me some advice is all."  

  
"Advice?" Aomine wasn't sure what his vice-captain was up.  

  
\-----------

  
Three months had passed since that day. THREE WHOLE MONTHS! After everyone left the gym Kuroko told Aomine that he needed time alone to discover his version of basketball. Aomine wasn't really sure what he meant by that but he wanted to respect Kuroko and if he said he needed space then he would just have to give it to him. Those three months seemed to drag on for an eternity. Every day Aomine would still go to the gym after practice, while he dribbled across the court he would remember playing with Tetsu. He resisted the urge to text him and find out where he was. The truth was that he didn't even care about practicing with him, he just wanted to talk and see how he was doing. It was a weird feeling, he had never really wanted to just hang out with someone before. He always had Satsuki to hang out with but this feeling was different, he couldn’t quite figure it out. On certain occasions he would find himself thinking about Kuroko, even basketball wasn't giving him the solace it usually did. He was having one of these space out moments during practice when a familiar voice brought him back from his thoughts. He looked up to see Tetsu standing in the doorway of the gym. Aomine felt his heart pound for a moment.  

 

"Kuroko-kun, it has been a while, have you found your answer?"  

 

Akashi casually walked towards the boy in the doorway. The two of them began to talk and Aomine was soon summoned back to practice, he tried to listen in on their conversation but his attention was demanded elsewhere and he had no choice but to go. The next hour was torture, he just wanted to talk to Tetsu and discover what he had been doing these last three months. After practice Kuroko was nowhere in sight.  

  
\-----------

  
Aomine finally made it home and immediately pulled out his phone, unable to wait any longer.  

  
_"Oi Tetsu! I saw you talking to Akashi-kun earlier today. What's that all about?"_  

  
_"It’s a secret."_

  
Aomine just stared at his phone, unsure of what to think.  

  
_"Come on you can tell me! Don't make me hunt you down to find out."_

 _  
_ _"You'll find out soon, please be patient Aomine-kun. Good night see you tomorrow."_

 

Aomine closed his phone and looked at the ceiling from his bed. What secret could Kuroko have that Akashi would know about? Why can't he know yet? Ahhh, the whole thing was giving him a headache and he didn't like it one bit. Why was this irritating him so much?  He flipped onto his stomach and grabbed an idol magazine out from under his bed. He skimmed through the pages trying to use Mai-chan's breasts to get his mind off of the secret Kuroko was hiding. All the usual tricks weren't working and he soon gave up and decided to try and get some sleep. Hopefully that would give him some reprieve. Aomine went to bed and that night he dreamt of Tetsu. He woke up abruptly covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

 

"What the hell was that?!"  

  
He sat up from bed, his alarm going off in the background. He slammed the off button so hard that he nearly shattered its hard exterior. He laid back with his hands over his face. He tried to revive his dream. It was starting to get hazy and he could only recall bits and pieces at first. He could remember warmth, but who was it from? Suddenly he realized it was from Tetsu, he was with him in the gym where they always practiced. He was hugging him like he did before and they were just holding each other, he could feel Tetsu's breath on his skin. An unknown heat was welling up inside his stomach. Aomine then remembered what shocked him out of his dream. He had leaned down and took Tetsus head in his hands and gently kissed his lips. Instead of turning away, the Kuroko in his dreams returned the gesture with more force. He could still remember the small moan that escaped kuroko's mouth and reverberated off the gym walls. Aomine was reminded of the warmth again, not only in his face but elsewhere. His heart began pounding harder and he got up immediately and rushed to take a shower.

  
"What the hell is going on? What are you doing brain? And you body?! What is going on?!"

To be continued!

 


	2. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine invites Kuroko over to his place, which probably isn't the best idea.

The morning after that dream was like a blur, he still didn't understand it at all. He was walking through the halls with his hands firmly planted in his pockets murmuring to himself,   

 

"Maybe I shouldn't read titty magazines while texting before bed anymore. That had to be it, the two things just mixed up in my head and that’s why I had that dream. That is exactly what happened, yea just that, nothing weird at all."   

 

He continued his long strides, lost in reflection.   

 

\-----------  

 

Aomine arrived at practice like normal, the thoughts from the morning long stuffed into the back of his mind for later contemplation. Everything appeared to be back to usual. As everyone was lacing up and stretching Akashi came over to the rest of the first-string members.   

 

"Hello everyone, I would like to introduce a new member who will be joining us today. This is Kuroko Tetsuya, please treat him as you would any other, thank you. Practice will begin shortly."  

 

He looked up from the floor to see his friend standing in front of him. Kuroko just stared back with his traditional blank expression. Aomine could hardly contain the excitement, all he could do was smile before running over to him. No thoughts of his dream anywhere to be found.  

 

"You idiot how could you not tell me about this? I have been dying over here!"  

 

Kuroko just gave him a sheepish look and a smile crept across his face.   

 

"I wanted it to be a surprise. You are the one that inspired me to not give up Aomine-kun and I wanted to show you how hard I have been working."  

 

Tetsu continued to look up at him with his large blue eyes that seemed to sparkle under the bright gym lights. Aomine found himself at a loss for words. He could feel his cheeks and ears grow warmer. He quickly looked away and glanced off to the side, placing a hand on the back of his head.   

 

"Well I'm just pumped that you're here. Now we can finally play together again. You better not have gotten rusty while you were ditching me."

The two of them ran off to join the rest of the group.   

 

\-------------  

 

Aomine and Kuroko stayed after practice with the rest of the first years to help with the clean up. They walked together along the length of the gym with brooms.  

 

"Oi Tetsu, do you have any plans for later tonight?"

 

Kuroko kept his eyes on the job at hand.  

 

"No, Did you have something in mind?" 

 

"Well I just got some new games on my PS4 and since it’s Friday I know my mom is gonna be workin' late. I figured we could grab some junk food or something and hang out. You know, to celebrate you finally getting into first string." 

 

Kuroko continued to look at the floor. Aomine could see a small smile on his face.  

 

"I would like that very much but I must warn you that you will not be able to beat me in video games as easily as you do in basketball." 

 

"Oh really is that what you think?"  

 

Aomine grabbed Kuroko by the neck and roughly ruffled up his hair.  

 

"Hey you two! Get back to cleaning so we can all get out of here!" 

 

They quickly straightened up and went back to their sweeping. Both laughing slightly under their breath.  

 

\-------------  

 

When they were finally done cleaning  they headed towards the convenience store for some snacks before heading to Aomine's house. It was already fairly late when they arrived and all the streetlights were already illuminating the sidewalk. Aomine walked up and unlocked the door, the house was silent as they entered. 

 

"Welcome to my place! Sorry if it’s a bit messy. I just live here with my mom and she pretty much lives at work." 

 

The house was a more modern style Japanese home with some traditional elements still remaining. The walls were a pale white with large beams lining the low hanging ceiling. There were piles of books and magazines in the far corner of the sitting room and a large bookshelf that held an assortment of trinkets. There was a traditional room with tatami mats near the entrance but it looked fairly unused compared to its surroundings. 

 

"My rooms this way. Come on up" 

 

A staircase was down the wall from the entrance. The two of them walked up to Aomine's room that was located at the top of the landing.  

 

"And finally the best part of the house, my room!" 

 

Kuroko looked around the small space. The walls were covered with basketball posters and Aomine had shelves filled with trophies and medals. Next to the closet was an enormously unnecessary pile of basketball shoes. Many of them appeared to be the same type but in varying colors.  

 

At the foot of the bed on the floor was a pile of laundry that may have been a mixture of clean and dirty clothes. No one could say for certain. The trash can next to the bed was filled with snack wrappers and banana milk cartons.  

 

"Umm Aomine-kun?" 

 

"Yea Tetsu what's up?"  

 

"Have you ever heard of a vacuum cleaner? How do you ever find anything in here?" 

 

Aomine looked around at the mess around him.  

 

"What do you mean? I know exactly where all the important stuff is. I'll have you know I have a system and everything!" He started grabbing random objects. 

 

"See I keep my school shit in this corner here, this is where I keep my extra basketballs, and then most importantly." He lifted up the bed with one arm. "This is where I keep my stash of porn and Mai-chan photobooks. All the important things are accounted for." 

 

Kuroko gave him a look of disappointment. 

 

"Well, do you know where the new games you bought are?" 

 

Aomine glanced to the side and thought for a moment.  

 

"Yeah I totally know where those are......ummm...maybe uhhh...shit." 

 

"You have no idea where you put them do you?" 

 

"Hey I will find them in no time! Just sit and watch a true treasure hunter at work." 

 

Kuroko only chuckled under his breath and went with his bag of snacks to sit on Aomine's bed. 

 

Aomine continued to shuffle through his piles of trash, he knew they were around here somewhere. Finally he found them hidden under a stack of shoe boxes. He scooped them up and waved them in the air.  

 

"AH HA! I told you I knew exactly where they were!" 

 

"Yes, very impressive Aomine-kun. It only took you 15 minutes of hunting to uncover them. It truly is an efficient system you have here." 

 

Aomine couldn't help but laugh. He tackled the small boy on the bed and rubbed a knuckle into his head.  

 

"Ow Aomine-kun, that hurts you know." 

 

"Well that’s what you get for making fun of my perfect organization skills!" 

 

The two of them laughed together and when they eventually calmed down they looked through the games that Aomine uncovered. They sat on the bed and decided to play NBA 2K16, cause they obviously needed more basketball in their lives. Aomine started up the game, he was feeling confident even with the butterflies in his stomach.  

 

After approximately 10 games Aomine slammed the controller down. 

 

"How do you keep doing this?!" 

 

"I think I warned you earlier today that you would not beat me as easily here and you do on the court." 

 

"Yeah but this is insane! I haven't won one game yet and I have played this a million times." 

 

"It's just instinct Aomine-kun. It may be similar to your real life basketball skills." 

 

"Well this sucks, I thought I was gonna wipe the floor with you."  

 

Aomine looked at the screen. Kuroko's team was standing there victorious for the 10 th time.  

 

"I guess I can let you have this....for now. How about we go make some of the instant noodles we bought and chill for a while. We can see if anything good is on T.V?" 

 

"That sounds nice, I was starting to get hungry. I'm gonna head to the restroom first though. I can meet you in the kitchen." 

 

"Sounds like a plan, see you down there." 

 

Aomine ran downstairs with the bag from the convenience store. He threw the noodles in some bowls and tossed them into the microwave. He sat there patiently waiting and smiling happily to himself. He began thinking about all the fun he was having. It had been a long time since he had anyone over to his place that wasn't Satsuki and spending time with Kuroko outside of practice was more fun than he could have anticipated. 

 

He felt a slight heat well up in the pit of his stomach and his heart started to pound just a little harder.  

 

"Are the noodles all done?"  

 

Aomine jumped back a little as Kuroko slowly came into the kitchen. He quickly straightened up and grabbed the steaming bowls from the microwave.  

 

"Yup all done. Did you want anything else with it?" 

 

"No I think this will hit the spot just fine. I was starting to get cold upstairs and the warmth of the noodles sounds really nice." 

 

The two of them went back upstairs and flipped through the channels until they could finally agree on something. They sat in silence and finished their meals.  

 

"Are you still cold Tetsu?" 

 

"Yes a little bit, would you mind if I stole a blanket?" 

 

"No go ahead....here." 

 

They had been sitting on the bed watching T.V with the covers as a backrest. Aomine pulled them out from behind him and they both got under the covers and continued watching their show.  

 

Aomine glanced over at Kuroko sitting closely beside him. The smalls boys eyes remained on the television, every once and awhile Tetsu's eyes would flutter slightly and his head would begin to drop. He would almost immediately pick it back up before it would all begin again. Aomine thought about waking him to see if he wanted to stay the night on the couch or at all really. They hadn't discussed any sleep over arrangements. It was the weekend but would either of them get in trouble if he stayed here? He was about to shake him awake when Kuroko finally fell asleep and leaned his head on Aomine's shoulder. Aomine instantly went stiff.  

 

He looked left then right, hoping he would find his answer hidden in some corner of his room. All he found was dirty laundry and empty ramen bowls. He glanced back down at the boy fast asleep on his shoulder. Kuroko's eyes were closed and a soft gentle expression was washed across his face. His blue hair was tousled and laid haphazardly. Aomine couldn't move let alone wake him up. He just lightly laid his head on top of Kuroko's. He breathed in his scent. It was a mixture of vanilla, probably ramen, and something else that Aomine could only think to describe as _Tetsu_.  

 

He could feel his warmth. The two of them were beneath the blanket and their individual body temperatures made it feel like being under a kotatsu. That comfortable and warm feeling enveloped him and before he knew it he began to get drowsy. Instead of fighting it Aomine simply said,  _ fuck it _ ,  and the two of them fell further into a deep sleep.  

 

\-------------  

 

The next morning Aomine was the first to awaken. He got up slowly, rubbing his eyes and looking around at his surroundings. His neck felt stiff and he stretched his arms above his head. He abruptly felt something move on the bed beside him. He looked down and had to resist the urge to jump up in shock.  

 

Laying next to him was Kuroko who was still sound asleep. His hair was much worse off than it was last night. Tetsu whispered something in his sleep and then reached out indiscriminately. Aomine was frozen for a moment until Kuroko unknowingly grabbed around his waist. His heart began to pound rapidly, it was beating faster than it ever had during a game of basketball.  

 

He calmly unwrapped Kuroko's arms from around him and slid out of the bed. When he was finally free he quietly left the room and headed straight for the bathroom.  

 

When he arrived he closed the door as fast as possible and looked down at his waist. The front of his school uniform pants felt tight. The fabric stretched around the growing problem and Aomine had to look away and stare at himself in the mirror.  

 

"It's okay, this is normal. Just morning wood! It will go away any second, it totally not from Tetsu and everything is cool." 

 

He began thinking of playing basketball, large breasts, burgers, even the old dog he had as a kid made an appearance. Pretty much anything other that Kuroko's sleeping face.  

 

The 'morning wood' slowly began to recede and Aomine felt like he could finally breathe again. He splashed water on his face and looked in the mirror. After a few minutes he decided it was probably time to escape the bathroom and face his next problem.  

 

He opened the door and on the other side Kuroko suddenly appeared. Aomine jumped back and let out a small scream.  

 

"Oi! What the hell are you doing here!?" 

 

Kuroko stood their motionless rubbing his eyes. The sleeve of his sweater was unrolled and it completely concealed his hands. Aomine tried not to think about how cute it was. 

 

"I just woke up and realized you weren't there so I went to go look for you." 

 

Aomine looked away and then back at the small boy. 

 

"Oh ummm....sorry I just had to piss real bad so I ran to the bathroom when I woke up. I figured I would just let you sleep." 

 

Kuroko just stood there with his traditional expression. 

 

"Is it alright if I use the restroom Aomine-kun?" 

 

Aomine suddenly realized he was guarding the bathroom door and quickly moved out of the way. 

 

"Yeah go ahead umm...I'll be in the room" 

 

Kuroko headed into the restroom and Aomine slowly walked back into his bedroom. He sat on his bed and placed his head in his hands. He remained like that for a few minutes before he began murmuring to himself.  

 

"You gotta calm down man, just breathe. It wasn't a big deal just get it together." 

 

He picked up his head when he heard Kuroko reenter the room.  

 

"I am sorry if I inconvenienced you last night. I didn’t mean to fall asleep but I had such a great time and I couldn't help but get a little too comfortable. Unfortunately, I do have to head home now, my parents are probably wondering where I am since I didn’t say anything about staying over and I don't want to worry them." 

 

"Yeah sure Tetsu. Did you want any breakfast before you leave? Tamagoyaki is one of the meals I am actually pretty good at." 

 

"No but thank you for the offer. I should probably just head home." 

 

The two of them walked down the stairs and towards the front door.  

 

"I really did have a nice time Aomine-kun. Thank you for inviting me." 

 

"It's no problem, we were just celebrating you finally making it to first string. All I did was make you shitty ramen anyway. It was the least I could do I guess." 

 

The two of them waved goodbye and Aomine watched Kuroko slowly walk down the quiet street. After he couldn't see him anymore he turned and closed the door. He heard the door click and he dropped down to his hands and knees looking at the floor.  

 

The house was still silent which meant his mom either stayed over at work or she had to work a double. Either way, he was glad that there was no one around to witness him freaking out. He stayed like that for a few minutes before collecting himself and heading upstairs to take a shower.

 

\-------------  

 

Aomine was grateful that he didn't have classes today because he definitely wasn’t in any kind of shape to be around annoying teachers or really anyone for that matter. He just needed time to think and sort out everything that was swirling around in his head. He had a headache from all of this Kuroko shit and he had no idea where to even begin.  

 

He stumbled around the house mindlessly for a few hours and even picked his room up a little bit before falling face first onto his bed. He pulled out his phone and scrolled down to a familiar name. _Would Satsuki know what was happening?_   He closed his phone just as quickly as he opened it.   

 

He spoke quietly to himself, "What the hell would I even tell her. Oh, I had a dream about Tetsu and then fell asleep with him and I may have gotten a boner from it. Now I can't stop thinking about him. What does that mean?"  

 

He flipped onto his back and put his hands above his head. Hell no he wasn't gonna even open that door. This was something he had to work out on his own. He knew he always liked girls. He never missed out on a new Mai-chan photo book and he always jerked off to girls, so why was he getting so flustered over someone like Tetsu. He didn't have any breasts at all and he was a guy for crying out loud!  

 

"What does this even mean? Am I attracted to guys or something?" 

 

He couldn't think of anyone in his life, male or female, that had made him feel like this before. He was just so confused and he had nowhere to direct his questions.  

 

"I have to just ignore it. Hopefully it will all just work its way out of my system and I will get over it. "

 

\-----------  

 

During the next week Aomine tried not to get too close to Kuroko during practice. H e just wasn't sure what to do and distancing himself from the problem was usually his go-to strategy. It had always worked in the past so why wouldn't it apply to this situation as well?   

 

When Saturday had finally arrived avoiding him was no longer an option. It was their first official game since Kuroko joined the first string. Aomine had to steel his nerves and just do what he always did. Play basketball and hope that it solved all his problems.   

 

They all hopped on the bus and headed towards their destination. When they arrived the games for the morning were already in full swing and everyone in Teiko quickly began warming up. Everyone was accounted for except, as usual, Haizaki had yet to arrive. Haizaki Shougo was a decent player but he wasn’t a decent person in the slightest. He was always skipping practice to hang out at the arcade or hit on girls somewhere. Aomine really couldn’t stand the guy and sometimes he had to try real hard to resist the urge to hit him. 

 

Aomine looked over to see their captain, Nijimura-san, on the phone.   

 

"HAIZAKI, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"   

 

His captain was screaming into the phone with what appeared to be smoke coming out of his ears. Aomine took a step back, the last thing he needed was the Nijimura-san getting mad at him. Nijimura Shuzo was a nice guy nice most of the time but Aomine has seen what it looks like to be on his bad side. He found out that Nijimura went through a bit of a bad boy stage when he was young and that he just so happened to be a high level in karate.  All the more reason to stay on his good side. Haizaki apparently didn’t get the memo but this wasn't the first time he had skipped and it probably wouldn't be the last. 

 

Nijimura-san directed himself towards the group, "It looks like Haizaki will be out with a cold today."   

 

The coach turned toward Kuroko who was seated beside him. "Kuroko, it looks like Haizaki is out, I'm putting you in for the first string line up. Get ready you will be up in about three minutes."   

 

Aomine turned towards his friend to congratulate him and instead of being greeted with a smile the small boy looked absolutely terrified. Sweat began to roll down his face and he could feel him shivering in the chair beside him. He touched his arm lightly.   

 

"Ummm, Tetsu, are you alright?" The now even paler boy looked towards him and gave an apprehensive and jerky nod. The coach ran over with the signal that the game was about to begin.   

 

"Hey everything's gonna be alright man, just take a deep breath, you got this."  

 

He ruffled Kuroko's hair before running onto the court. He could feel the residual warmth left on his hand as he got in the line up.    

 

Aomine looked to his right to see if Kuroko had calmed down at all. Unfortunately he looked just as bad as before, but now instead of the shaking being limited to a chair he was standing beside him trembling. He was like a newborn fawn learning how to walk for the first time. Before he could say a word the whistle blew and the game had started. Aomine immediately went straight for the ball, his instincts that he had honed since he was a kid were kicking in and suddenly all his worries disappeared. It wasn't until he looked back to pass that he saw Kuroko face plant onto the court. The rest of the team ran to his aid as he slowly picked himself up.  

 

"Tetsu are you alright?" Everyone looked towards him with concern.   

 

"Yes, I am perfectly fine, thank you." Then suddenly blood started to trickle from his nose.   

 

In unison, "No, you're not fine at all."  

 

Kuroko was directed to the side lines and all Aomine could do was look at him and hope that he would be alright. He knew that he couldn't let it affect him no matter how much he wanted to sit beside him. The game began again with Nijimura-san taking over in Kuroko's place. Aomine tried to focus on the game and win it for his fellow teammates.   

 

The first game of the day finished and they had won, the rest of the team exited the gym to relax and eat before the afternoon games began. He sat next to Kuroko and pulled out the lunch that Satsuki had packed for him. As soon as he opened it though he realized that he should have known better. The whole thing emitted a black aura and he really wasn't feeling brave today. He turned towards Kuroko.   

 

"Hey I'm gonna run to the convenience store to get some real food. Do you want anything?"  

 

He looked down at his friend who still looked somber about the events from their first game.   

 

"No, I will be alright, thank you Aomine-kun." Kuroko didn't look up from the ground.  

 

"Okay then, if you're sure, I'll be right back."   

 

Aomine ran off towards the convenience store. No matter how hard he thought about it he just  didn't know how to make Tetsu feel better and that made him feel like shit. He was never good with all that emotional crap and he was especially useless when it came to Tetsu. He just didn't want to say anything that would be taken the wrong way in front of him. He actually cared about what Kuroko thought of him, unlike how he felt with most people. He was running full sprint towards his destination when he was suddenly stopped by Nijimura-san and the assistant coach.   

 

"Aomine may we please have a moment of your time?"    

 

"Yeah, what's up? I'm not in trouble am I?"  

 

"No Aomine you are not in any sort of trouble. I just wanted to let you know since you appear to be close to Kuroko Tetsuya that we have decided to switch him back to his original string before the rest of the games this afternoon."  

 

Aomine couldn't believe what he was hearing, his mind started racing. Kuroko had worked so hard to make it to first string and just because he got nervous in one game they were gonna fucking demote him?! He couldn't contain his frustration.   

 

"You have got to be kidding me! Why can't you just give him another chance! We still have the games later this afternoon."  

 

The coach interrupted.   

 

"I cannot do that, I see no reason to look into this matter any further. He will be demoted."  

 

Aomine was shaking with irritation, he couldn't just let them do this. Not after everything.  

 

"If he is no good in the next game then I will demote myself too! So please....just please....put him in one more time. I promise you he is gonna be our savior someday." 

 

Those words left his mouth so suddenly that he didn't even have time to think. It's just what he truly felt in his heart and he couldn't control it.   

 

"I don't know why yet, but that's just the feeling I get. So please, just give him another chance."   

The coach looked at him, Aomine's eyes burned with determination.   

 

"Alright, I'll give him one more opportunity to convince us but that is it. He only has this one chance and if he fails then I will demote him."  

 

"Thank you coach! I promise he won't disappoint."   

 

Aomine ran away towards his original destination. It felt great to finally voice his true feelings and have it actually work out in his favor. He may have to try that again sometime, but once as probably enough for the day.  

 

\-----------  

 

The next game of the afternoon was about to begin. As the coach promised, Kuroko was placed in the game during the second half. The score was close with Teiko having a slight lead over the other team. Kuroko walked onto the court and already there was a drastic difference in his attitude. It was obvious to everyone that he had finally learned to walk. Aomine watched carefully as his friend was pulled aside by Akashi.  _ What is it that those two always had to talk about? _

 

Without warning he saw Kuroko's expression change again, it showed a new found resolve and Aomine instantly felt that pounding in his chest again.   

 

The whistle blew denoting the start of the game and he shook his head from side to side. He couldn't be thinking about this right now. They all lined up and the game finally began, he looked beside him and Kuroko had vanished. Aomine's instincts kicked in and he was running through his opponents until he unexpectedly started catching pass after pass with ease. It's like the ball would just magically appear in his hands.   

 

It wasn't long before he realized it was Tetsu that was making the impossible passes. He started to get even more excited. The passes just kept coming, each one quicker than the last. He could maneuver around without restraint and it made him feel utterly weightless. It was like he had a shadow who knew his every move and how to anticipate his actions. It was the greatest game of basketball he had experienced in a long time and all his thoughts and reservations just dissolved.   

 

The game seemed to end in a flash with Teiko coming out with an easy victory.   

 

Aomine ran up to Kuroko after everyone finished cleaning up.  

 

"Holy shit Tetsu what were those passes earlier? They were amazing. You were all like  _ WHOOSH _ and then _ POW _ !"  

 

Kuroko smiled and then looked down, a bit embarrassed by the sudden compliment and the enthusiasm that accompanied it.  

 

"Thanks Aomine-kun, it really isn't anything special. I just learned the best way for me to keep up with you all and help out the team."  

 

"Well whatever you were doing was frickin' sweet. That was one of the greatest games I have played in a long time and it's all because of you."   

 

Oops, he didn't really mean to say that out loud. He cleared his throat and he could feel his cheeks get a little red as Kuroko stared his way with a vacant expression.   

 

"Ahh well umm, are you heading home right now? Mind if I tag along?"  

 

"Sure Aomine-kun, I would like that very much. Thank you."  

 

\-----------  

 

The two boys walked alongside one another on their usual path home. They strolled past the same streets and shops that they had many times before but Aomine felt like everything was different. Today during the game with Kuroko he experienced something he had never felt before. His heart had been beating quickly not only from adrenaline but also from something new. This was the first time he had ever played a game with someone like Tetsu.   

 

_ Someone like Tetsu _ . What did that even mean?   

 

He had played with tons of his friends before. When he was younger Satsuki and him used to play together all the time. So why was this different? Why did his heart pound whenever he was around Tetsu? It used to be reserved to when they hung out off the court but today he had that same heart attack feeling while they played.  It was so frustrating. He couldn't talk to anyone about it and he thought he could just push it into the back of his mind but now it was even invading basketball. If he was to continue playing and hanging out with Kuroko then he needed to figure this shit out and he had to do it fast before his head exploded.   

 

"Aomine-kun, what are you thinking about?"   

 

The small voice dragged him out of his thoughts and Aomine turned towards him with an empty expression. He wanted to ask Tetsu if he had these feelings when they were together? He wanted to know if his heart pounded harder when he saw him? Did Kuroko dream about him too?   

 

Aomine just wanted to scream out all the inner turmoil he was feeling but he was afraid of this unknown emotion. What if Kuroko didn't understand it either and he pushed Aomine away? The very thought made his stomach hurt and his heartache.   

 

"Sorry, I was just thinking about how good takoyaki sounded right about now. Did you want to grab a bite with me before you head home?"  

 

"A milkshake does sound good right now but unfortunately I have to get home to study for my English exam. I have been neglecting my studies and I really don't want to fail. You should probably do the same Aomine-kun."   

 

"Who needs to study when you're good at basketball right?" 

 

Aomine gave him a small grin and Kuroko proceeded to jab him in the side.  

 

"Ohhffuccc jeeze Tetsu." 

 

"Good night Aomine-kun. See you at school on Monday." 

 

Aomine just rubbed his side and watched the small back disappear into the crowd. In that moment his head started to ache and he decided that he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Satsuki's number. 

 

_ Hey I'm coming over, be there in 10. _

 

He closed his phone and put it back into his pocket. Almost immediately his phone vibrated with a new message.  

 

_ Dai-chan do you realize how late it is? Just come over tomorrow. _

 

Aomine quickly typed out a response.  

 

_ Shut up it’s kind of an emergency. I'm coming over so suck it up. _

_ Okay okay, just come in through the side door. I'll be up. _

 

He headed towards Satsuki's house. He was trying to sort out what he was gonna tell her or if he was gonna tell her at all. He had to do something. This was all just getting too out of hand. Aomine's mind drifted to the memory of waking up next to Kuroko just a week ago. He tried to deny how cute he found him in that moment. Aomine shook his head violently as if he could erase the image that lingered in his subconscious.  

 

He continued to walk down the empty streets with his hands firmly planted into his pockets. The fall breeze swept across his neck and sent a shiver down his spine.   

 

To be continued!

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Momoi finally gets some screen time and Kise arrives to ruin everything!


	3. Golden Retriever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild Kise appears and ruins Aomine's perfect strategy.

Aomine finally arrived at Momoi’s house and casually walked in through the side door. He closed it softly behind him before observing the interior.

 

Satsuki and Aomine had known each other since they were both kids and he had been over to her place more times than he could remember. Usually he would stroll in and head straight for the fridge to scrounge for leftovers. He would just stuff his face while Satsuki attempted to wrestle the container from him. Her parents would just come in and laugh at the two of them battling over a Tupperware container filled with day old tonkatsu.

 

Aomine always felt at home here since his house was perpetually cold and lonely. With his mom working all the time he was pretty much on his own. Satsuki’s parents constantly treated him with a warm meal and a place to stay if he ever needed it. Aomine was truly thankful for them and he really wasn’t sure where he would be right now if he hadn’t met Satsuki when he was young.

 

He headed down a long hallway and placed his hand on the first doorknob and turned it carefully.

 

Momoi’s room had pretty much looked the same since they were kids. The only major changes were the posters that she hung above her desk. The walls were painted a pale blue and floral curtains were covering the windows. As usual, everything was neat and organized. She had a large bookshelf that lined almost an entire wall. It was stacked with light novels and hand written notebooks full of profiles of different players, idols, and classmates. Momoi was on her bed filling up a new notebook when Aomine entered. She looked up and closed her book.

 

“Dai-chan what was the big emergency that you had to come over right now? It better not be because you lost one of your photobooks again because I told you last time that it’s probably just hidden under your gross laundry pile like it always is. You should really start cleaning your room more often.”

 

“Satsuki can you stop nagging me about stupid shit for a second. I got more serious problems here. Plus when I lost that photobook last time it was under my shoe pile not my laundry pile.”

 

She looked towards him with a skeptical expression

 

“I really think there is something wrong with me. I might be dying or something.” Aomine walked towards her with his hands in his pockets and sat on the edge of the bed.

 

Momoi let out a small chuckle and bumped Aomine in the shoulder.

 

“Dai-chan what are you talking about. I just saw you during the game this morning and you were doing fine. I think I would have noticed if you were sick. What's gotten into you?”

 

Aomine just looked at the floor and placed his elbows on his knees.

 

“I really don’t know, some weird shit that I can’t explain has been going on lately and I have no idea what the hell to do about it.”

 

“Well just tell me and I will see what I can do. Just start at the beginning.”

 

He glanced at the corner of the room and reached up to scratch behind his head.

 

“Okay….so I have been hanging out with someone lately and we get along really well, but recently when we hang out my heart keeps freaking out for no reason. Plus I keep thinking about them all the time and I get distracted even during practice. There are times when I can’t even talk at all around them and I just look like an idiot." He glanced towards Momoi with a somber expression. "I'm definitely dying aren’t I?”

 

Momoi just stared at him for a moment before she suddenly started laughing. Tears of joy forming in the corners of her eyes.

 

“Oi Satsuki what the hell?! Why are you laughing at me? I am being totally serious right now.”

 

She continued to laugh for another few minutes before wiping her eyes and looking at Aomine.

 

“Dai-chan you have a crush on someone! Your heart is beating faster because you’re excited to see them. You lose the ability to talk because you’re getting nervous around them. You’re not gonna die at all, it’s totally normal.”

 

Aomine just stared at the ground. His eyes grew wide at this seemingly unforeseen development. _I have a crush….on Tetsu_. He just sat there speechless unable to wrap his head around what he just heard.

 

When he really thought about it the whole thing seemed extremely obvious but he just didn’t want to admit that this was actually happening to him.

 

“Sooooo who is this girl that you have been hanging out with? Is it someone I know? Is that who you were hanging out with when you ditched our shopping trip last weekend?”

 

Aomine couldn’t even respond. _Should I tell her who it is?_ Panic suddenly settled into his gut. He answered too quickly.

 

“It’s no one you know so quit asking about it already!!”

 

Momoi’s expression changed from genuine excitement to confusion. She lightly touched Aomine’s jacket sleeve.

 

“Are you alright? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I was just playing around, I’m sorry.”

 

Aomine felt like an asshole for snapping back at her like that. His head was pounding and he just wanted to get out of this small room. It felt like the walls were gonna collapse in on him at any moment.

 

“……..I’m the one who should say sorry Satsuki, I’m just being a dick. I’m just gonna head home.”

 

He quickly stood up from the bed and left the room. He almost made it to the side door that led to his freedom but Momoi beat him to it and grabbed him by the arm.

 

“Dai-chan just stop! You don’t have to leave. It’s a long walk home and it’s late so just stay in the guest room.”

 

Aomine continued to face the door that led outside. The cold breeze that awaited him sounded like heaven right now.

 

“I just want to be alone for a little while okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

 

He opened the door and braced himself for the brisk air. He put his hands in his pockets and walked towards home.

 

“Dai-chan please just come back.”

 

Aomine didn’t hear Momoi’s plea. His mind was blank as he walked towards home.

 

\----------

 

The rest of the weekend seemed like an infinite haze. It was almost like he was in a perpetual dream state that he couldn’t escape. Aomine just laid in bed staring at the ceiling without any discernible thought process. He just didn’t know what to do or even where to start thinking about what to do. He knew even before he told Satsuki his feelings that this whole thing was probably a crush, but he really hoped that she was gonna say something else…….anything else.

 

Now that those cards were on the table it meant that he had to figure out what his next move was going to be but this was the first time anything like this had ever happened to him. He was always attracted to idols and girls of a particular physique but he never had these types of reactions to any of them.

 

Aomine rolled off his bed and grabbed his laptop. He opened it and sat there with his hands hovering above the keyboard for a few moments before he eventually started typing.

 

He went to his go-to porn site and clicked on the categories header. He scrolled down the long list past Asian, bukkake, bondage, and many others until he finally reached his destination. He waited for a while until he eventually just said fuck it and clicked the link. He opened the first video that appeared and watched for about 2 minutes before he had to shut his laptop and throw it aside.

 

Aomine sat there motionless. He hadn’t felt anything from what he had just watched but when he thought about Tetsu his heart, as well as other places, still pulsed. Now he just had ideas in his head of Tetsu wearing his school uniform whie Aomine bent him over a desk.

 

He sat back in bed frustrated, he had solved nothing from with this little escapade. Now all he had was a hard on and a guilty conscience.

 

He deleted his browser history and opted for sleep instead.

  
\------------

  
Monday came before he knew it and now instead of being miserable and confused at home he had to do it at school. Aomine just sat and looked out the window. He decided during his math class that he couldn’t keep thinking about this. There was no way he could ever tell Tetsu how he felt, the risk losing their friendship was too high of a price. The best option would just be his usual ignore tactic and hope that the feelings would go away on their own.

 

Aomine continued that way for the remainder of the week. He went to school then to practice and finally home. Rinse and repeat. When he saw Kuroko at practice he would act like he always did while trying to ignore the pounding in his chest. He actually found it easier than he initially thought it would be since basketball helped him focus and keep his mind off of it…...mostly.

 

After about two weeks of this routine Aomine was feeling fairly confident. He managed to pull through without accidentally confessing like an idiot and practice was helping him concentrate. He had even been over to Kuroko’s house a few times and found that he was able to keep his cool. It all seemed like everything was going to work in his favor until _he_ showed up.

 

\------------

 

Aomine was in the gym practicing as usual. He was having fun challenging Murasakibara and some of the other first string members. He was finally able to push past them and run towards the hoop to pull off a long-awaited dunk. As he flew through the air he caught Momoi coming in through the gym doors. Aomine followed through with his dunk and hung from the hoop for a moment before dropping down and walking over. When he made it over to her he noticed that she wasn’t alone.

 

Standing beside her was Kise Ryouta. Aomine had met him on campus a few times since he recognized him from some of the magazines he read. Apparently, Kise was pretty popular with all the girls at school and he excelled at a number of sports. Aomine had heard he joined the basketball club recently but he never learned anything about how well he played.

 

“Hey Satsuki, what are you and Kise hanging out for?”

 

“Kise-kun is moving up and joining the first string starting today.”

 

“Oh wow, that’s really impressive. Especially since you just started.”

 

Aomine was suddenly pulled back into practice. He didn’t give Kise too much thought other than really wanting to play some one-on-one to see how good he really was. As he was dribbling away he heard Satsuki in the distance,

 

“Aomine-kun have you seen Tetsu-kun around anywhere?”

 

“Nope, haven’t seen him!”

 

Since Aomine had been half avoiding, half acting, every time he saw Kuroko he was being mostly honest with Satsuki. He knew that Tetsu had gone outside to get drinks for everyone but they had all probably forgotten long ago. So he technically didn’t know exactly where he was at that moment.

 

\----------

 

Practice finally came to an end and Aomine helped everyone clean up before grabbing his things to head home. He saw Tetsu waiting for him at the exit. They quickly fell in step together.

 

“So Tetsu, I saw you talking to Kise and Satsuki earlier, what was that all about?”

 

“Well, I was informed the other day that Kise-kun would be entering the first string and the coach asked me if I would be his mentor for a while.”

 

“Oh so that’s how it is.” Aomine looked up at the sky. His hands placed behind his head as he walked. The sky was a soft shade of purple and orange, there was barely a cloud in the sky.

 

“Hey Tetsu, I have an idea.” He wrapped an arm around Kuroko's thin shoulder. 

 

Kuroko looked at Aomine with a puzzled expression.

 

“You know how Kise is a model right? Well, the guy has got to have a ton of money soooo….. why don’t we take him out for some celebratory ice cream and butter him up so he will buy?”

 

“That sounds pretty dishonest Aomine-kun...but free ice cream is hard to pass up.”

 

“See I am a genius after all." he dropped his arm from around Kuroko's shoulder and raised both arms in the air. "Operation Freeze commence!”

 

“Operation Freeze?” Kuroko glanced at Aomine and laughed slightly under his breath.

 

The two waited at the entrance discussing Kise flattery strategies until they came across Murasakibara.

 

“Hey Mine-chin, Kuro-chin.” The large boy walked over to them slowly with his hand in a bag of chips. He took out his hand and wiped it on his pants before laying it on Kuroko’s head and roughing up his hair.

 

“I really wish you would stop doing that Murasakibara-kun.”

 

“I can’t help it, you're just so small. What are you guys waiting here for anyway?”

 

“We are going to try and extort free ice cream from Kise-kun. Want to join us?”

 

Murasakibara’s face lit up at the prospect of free food. Aomine remained fairly neutral about the extra participant. He just thought that the extra person might help them with the whole operation at hand. They all continued to wait at the entrance until Kise finally arrived.

 

“Yo!” Aomine held up his hand.

 

“Uh hey guys. What are all doing out here?” Kise looked at them all with apprehension.

 

“Well, we figured we would all go out and celebrate you gettin’ on first string!”

 

Aomine went and wrapped a friendly arm around Kise’s shoulder. It was his job to pump Kise up since the other two weren’t really the type for enthusiastic expressions of any kind.

 

“Let’s roll out!” Aomine thrust his fist into the air while Kuroko and Murasakibara followed suit.

 

\-----------

 

They all walked towards their local convenience store. Kise was still completely unaware of their destination or their intentions. The three of them just continued to distract Kise with compliments and questions about modeling and basketball. They entered the convenience store, still no complaints. They all grabbed their perspective ice creams and finally when they made it up to the counter Kise pulled out a large bill that was more than enough for all of their ice creams plus more.

 

Aomine saw Midorima at the back of the store and nudged Kuroko on the shoulder. Tetsu turned around to see what he was bothering him for and saw their fellow teammate with some ice cream. Aomine stayed and distracted Kise while Kuroko came back with an ice cream for Midorima as well.

 

As they all strolled out and opened up their ice cream Kise finally realized what had just occurred.

 

“How did this happen?!?” Kise looked at all of them with wide eyes. “I thought this was a celebration for me but I ended up buying not only my own ice cream but everyone else’s too!”

 

Kise looked dejected as the rest of them just ate their ice cream in peace. Aomine looked down at Kuroko standing beside him, they both laughed quietly with a shared look of approval. The look between them made Aomine forget that he was surrounded by people. He kept his eyes on Kuroko for a little too long while his heart did layups over and over again in his chest.

 

As everyone was finishing their ice creams Aomine just listened to Midorima and Kise yelling at one another. He finally ate all of his and as usual, it was a _loser_ stick. He looked down at Kuroko who had finished his at the same time.

 

“Oh...I won” Kuroko pointed the stick towards Aomine.

 

Aomine lit up, “Woah! Seriously!? This is the first time I have ever even seen anyone win one!”

 

Kise was getting excited as well and Aomine wrapped his arm around Kuroko’s shoulder to hold out his arm with the popsicle stick in it towards Kise. As everyone looked in awe, all Aomine was really focusing on was how close Tetsu’s face was to his own. He calmly put his arm down.

 

 _I have to be like normal, don’t get weird now_.  As he tried to calm down his insides, then he heard a familiar voice come up from behind him.

 

“Hey! Isn’t this a nice site! What are you all doing here?” Satsuki popped in between Aomine and Kuroko with a bright smile on her face.

 

“We are just celebrating Kise-kun entering first string.” Kuroko gave Momoi a soft smile in return.

 

The three of them just stared at Midorima and Kise who were still arguing while Murasakibara stood behind them eating his newly purchased box of maiubo. Momoi just giggled under her breath and looked down at the popsicle stick still in Kuroko’s hand.

 

“Oh Tetsu-kun! Is that a _winner_! That is so amazing, I have never gotten one them before!”

 

Kuroko looked at Momoi with a blank expression. He reached out his hand towards her and placed the stick into her palm.

 

“Here, you can have it. I really don’t need it.”

 

Her eyes lit up brighter than Aomine had ever seen them before. He thought for a moment that actual beams of light were going to emit from her body. Her face grew red and she wouldn’t even look in Kuroko's direction.

 

“I-I-I will treasure it forever Tetsu-kun!”

 

Aomine blurted out, “It doesn’t even mean anything if you don’t exchange it.”

 

He found himself slightly annoyed at her reaction. It was just a popsicle stick, Kuroko said he didn’t even want it. He tried not to think about it and it only ended up giving him a headache. _Oh_ god _am I really getting jealous of Satsuki now?_

 

\----------

 

Over the next few weeks Aomine tried to continue where he left off with Kuroko but the, ignore and act cool, strategy was getting a lot harder since Kise came along. After about a week of complaints Kise finally realized how amazing Tetsu was and ever since then he had yet to leave him alone. He was constantly hanging around him and trying to touch him or his food or whatever it was that Kuroko had at the time.

 

Aomine usually didn’t mind Kise and in fact, he actually respected him. They practiced one-on-one all the time and even though Kise never beat him it was still a lot of fun to play together. Aomine almost saw him as a brother, an immature younger brother who he wanted to smack.

 

While lost in thought, the very source of his worries came strolling over to him.

 

“Hey Aominecchi! Want to play some one-on-one? I have a feeling that today is gonna be the day that I beat you!”

 

“Yea right Kise. You never even come close.”

 

“Ahhh Aominecchi! You're so mean. I always come close to beating you and you know it! Just admit it!”

 

“There isn’t anything to admit. You just suck is all.”

 

“Well, I’m gonna prove it to you so just play me already!”

 

“Yea yea yea, fine. I’ll only play with you since Tetsu already left, but if you lose again you owe me an ice cream.”

 

“But Aominecchi I got ice cream the last three times!" Kise looked to the side with a huge pout on his face. "Ughhh fine, you're on!”

 

Kise’s face grew serious and Aomine knew that it was gonna be a challenging game.

 

The two of them played several games with Aomine winning each time by a fairly large margin. He was pretty disappointed that Kise didn’t put up a little bit more of a fight. It was getting late and all the courtyard lights were already lit up. Aomine threw the ball towards Kise.

 

“Come on idiot, you owe me.”

 

Kise grabbed his stuff and slumped over to Aomine. They walked to the convenience store and purchased the frozen treats before heading to hang out in the local park to eat. Aomine sat on the giant dinosaur jungle gym and looked up at the stars. He could see them very clearly tonight even with the city lights so close by.

 

Suddenly Kise broke through the cold silence, “Aominecchi….sooo…..when did you and Kurokocchi start dating?”

 

Aomine sat up so fast that he nearly fell off the jungle gym. His eyes were wide and he knew his cheeks had to be bright red.

 

“W-w-w-whattttt? What are you talking about?? We aren’t dating! We are just friends! Plus he is a guy! What the hell Kise?”

 

“Shhhhh...don’t yell so loud. I was just asking a serious question. You guys hang out all the time and when you play together you are always synced up really well.....it’s almost scary.”

 

Kise looked up and extended his hand towards the sky. “Kurokocchi passes to me too but….you guys just seem so connected somehow. I was thinking about it and if you guys were secretly dating it would make a lot of sense. Plus you’re always looking at him in the locker room and when we all hang out. I mean it’s kinda obvious.”

 

“Well, you must have a screw loose or something cause we are definitely not dating! We are just friends so quit having stupid thoughts.” Aomine threw his _loser_ popsicle stick at Kise’s head.

 

Kise dropped his hand and gave a sidelong glance towards Aomine. Doubt was present in his eyes.

 

“It was just a question Aominecchi, no need to be so mean! I was just curious I swear!”

 

“Well don’t be curious about stupid shit or I'll kick your ass.”

 

Aomine stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, he headed towards home without saying a word. Kise had a small smile on his face as Aomine disappeared into the horizon

 

\-------------

 

Aomine arrived at home and immediately face planted onto his bed. He was completely and utterly defeated, by Kise Ryouta of all people. _Is it really that obvious?_

 

He flipped onto his back and stared at the wall. The memory of Kise asking that question kept replaying over and over again in his head. _When did you and Kurokocchi start dating?_ Aomine was emitting gloom fumes, why did Kise have to go and fuck everything up? He was handling everything just fine and now all this shit was just getting him paranoid.

 

He knew his reaction to Kise’s question was probably not the best. Aomine knew that Kise wasn’t a complete idiot and that his red cheeks and asshole response were probably more than enough to give him away. Now he had to add this factor into his everyday routine along with trying to be normal around Tetsu and not getting jealous of Satsuki. Math was never his strong suit and all these components were just making his head spin. He decided sleep was probably the best option. He wasn’t gonna solve any of this shit today so he might as well ignore it.

 

\-------------

 

Practice for the next week was an absolute nightmare. It was so terrible that Aomine truly believed he had not actually woken up and was still living out a terror fueled dream.

 

While everyone was playing Kise kept talking to Tetsu and playing with his hair or touching his arms for no reason. Yea he usually annoyed him a little bit but lately it was just excessive. Every time he looked at Tetsu, he was there. Kise even tried stealing passes that were definitely meant for Aomine. He could only throw so many basketballs at Kise’s head before you would think he would get the hint, but he just wouldn’t stop.

 

Aomine knew that he couldn’t just run up and say, _Get away from Tetsu! I don’t like you pawing all over him!_ If Aomine’s wonderful display at the park hadn’t made his feelings obvious then that would definitely do the trick.

 

All Aomine could do was try and focus on basketball while looking past everything that was going on. He tried to challenge Kise to some one-on-one in an attempt to pry him away from Kuroko but even that plan failed. Aomine had never seen him refuse a game before. What the hell was Kise’s problem? He said they weren’t dating but that doesn’t mean Kise should hang all over him like a stalker.

 

_I mean it’s not like Kise has a crush on Tetsu right?_

 

He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks mid-game. A ball came flying at him, he reacted a minute too late and fumbled the ball. The whistle sounded, “Aomine what are you doing, focus on the game!”

 

Aomine just stood their motionless for a second before getting pissed and storming off towards the gym doors.

 

“Hey where do you think you’re going?” His coach held his hands in the air while shouting

 

“I have to piss I’ll be right back!” Aomine continued towards the door. He caught a glance at Kuroko and Kise playing with some of the other first string members. Kuroko looked towards Aomine with a worried expression before quickly passing to his teammate. Aomine sprinted out the doors and ran to the backside of the building before stopping to lean against the wall.

 

Does Kise like Tetsu? Was he just asking about the whole dating thing because he wanted to make sure he was free before he made a move?

 

Aomine set his head back hard against the brick wall and closed his eyes.

 

_Well, now what the hell am I supposed to do?_

  
He felt like he might go insane if he let all of this continue. He decided that his only choices were to lock Tetsu up or kill Kise. Realistically either option probably wasn’t for the best but he really didn’t see how he was going to get out of the mess that he found himself in.

 

“Aomine-kun?”

 

Aomine’s eyes snapped open and he looked down to see Kuroko standing in front of him. He instinctively jumped up a bit.

 

“Oh fucccc...Tetsu?! What are you doing here?”

 

Kuroko responded in his usual flat tone, “You left so suddenly and I wanted to see if everything was alright. It’s unlike you to just leave in the middle of practice.”

 

“Oh, yea, ummm...I’m fine. I was just getting bored and I wanted to ditch for a bit.” He wouldn’t look Kuroko in the eye. He really didn’t need the guilt of lying to Tetsu on top of all the other problems he had right now.

 

“Aomine-kun, did you know that you always look away when you lie?”

 

He straightened up and looked directly at Kuroko. He placed a hand behind his head and laughed from pure embarrassment.

 

“Oh……well umm...I guess I’m busted then.” Aomine habitually looked to the side again, he could feel his cheeks warming as Kuroko’s eyes remained glued to him.

 

“I’m not gonna ask what’s wrong but I just want you to know that you can always talk to me if you need to.”

 

Aomine averted his eyes until suddenly he felt a gentle warmth brush against his hand. He looked down to see Tetsu just barely touching his hand with his fingertips. The light contact sent waves of heat through Aomine’s body. It was just the slightest caress but it was nothing like he had ever felt before. He could feel his heart pounding harder and his eyes moved from his hand to Kuroko’s face.

 

“Hey, Tetsu….I-I” His throat was dry and he could feel the sweat beading down his back. “I ummm...gotta tell you something...stupid..”

 

Aomine knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He tried to ignore everything but It just kept backfiring. He couldn’t take it anymore, it was either now or never and he felt like he could actually do it.

 

“Aomine-kun, are you sure you’re alright?” Kuroko’s hand moved from just fingertips to the whole hand being placed against Aomine’s.

 

It was silent. A flock of birds went flying overhead and a cold breeze blew leaves al around them. Sounds from the gym were disappearing into the open air.

 

Aomine opened his mouth and nothing came out, he stood there lifeless until suddenly,

 

“Kurokocchi! Aominecchi! What are you guys doing out here!?” Kise came running up to the two of them and they broke contact. Aomine quickly felt the cold breeze against more than just his skin.

 

“Oh did I interrupt something? You two did seem kinda intimate a second ago. I want to hold Kurokocchi’s hand too! It’s not fair that you always get to steal him Aominecchi.” Kise looked towards Aomine with a cheeky expression.

 

“Kise-kun aren’t you supposed to be in there helping the first years clean?”

 

“Ahhh but I just want to hang out with you Kurokocchi!!” Kise proceeded to wrap an arm around Kuroko’s shoulder.

 

Aomine felt like he was honestly about to explode. He was so angry that smoke may have been coming out of the top of his head. He smacked Kise hard and fast on the back of the head.

 

“Owww, Aominecchi that hurts! You're so mean!” He rubbed the back of his head while wincing.

 

“Well, that’s what you get for being an idiot all the time. Quit being annoying and hangin’ on people.”

 

“But Kurokocchi doesn’t mind when I hang on him! We are best friends after all!” Kise turned toward Kuroko with a large smile plastered across his face. Tetsu did not return the gesture.

 

“Actually Kise-kun I told you before that I would prefer you not hang on me and I really wouldn’t say best friends since I treat everyone fairly equal.”

 

Kise looked so dejected. Aomine couldn’t tell if it was because he actually liked Tetsu or if he was just acting that way to mess with him. Either way, Aomine could feel his irritation bar rising.

 

“Ahhhh even Kurokocchi is being mean! Well, I guess this is my cue to leave. I guess I’ll just go back then.”

 

Kise started to leave, on his way to the gym he looked back with a sad face several times before he eventually got the hint and left. It reminded Aomine of a dog being told to go outside after tearing up the furniture.

 

“Sorry about Kise-kun, what did you want to say earlier? It sounded important.”

 

Kuroko turned back towards Aomine. Acting as though a big blonde golden retriever of a human being hadn’t just come in and ruined whatever was happening just a moment ago. All the confidence Aomine had was gone and now he just felt jaded about the whole situation.

 

“It wasn’t anything important, don’t worry about it.” Aomine turned and began walking back towards the gym. Kuroko came up behind him and jabbed him behind the knees. Aomine nearly fell to the ground but was able to catch himself at the last minute.

 

“Oi Tetsu, what the hell are you doing?!”

 

“Aomine-kun, I think what you had to say earlier was probably important and I don't know why you don’t want to tell me but I just want to….”

 

“Yea yea I know…..you just want to tell me that you will hear me out when I need it right? I heard you before. It just really wasn’t anything important so you can just drop it.”

 

Kuroko stared at him with a woeful expression. If Aomine wasn’t feeling bad before then he sure was now. He grabbed Kuroko around the shoulders and ruffled his hair with the other hand.

 

“See I’m the only one who is allowed to do this to Tetsu!” Aomine was laughing to hide his increasing heartbeat.

 

Kuroko didn’t fight back like he usually did against Kise. He just let him do what he always did without any hesitation or complaints. A warm feeling started to build in his stomach again, it felt like some of that confidence was rising back to the surface.

 

“Hey, umm...I guess I’m sorry for acting weird or whatever earlier.” Aomine dropped his arm from around the small boy's shoulder and shoved them into his pockets while the two of them continued towards the gym entrance. “Want to come over for some food at my place or something?”

 

Kuroko looked up at him, his face didn't tell Aomine what he was thinking. 

 

“If you’re sure it’s alright. I guess it has been a while since I came over. I'll just text my parents and let them know that I’m staying just incase I fall asleep again.”

 

Aomine had a sudden recollection of their last trip to his house. His ears grew red at the thought. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.

 

_Why do I have to blurt out stupid shit before I think? If he comes over I don’t know if I can control what comes out of my mouth! Fuckkkkk._

 

Kuroko smiled at him and all Aomine could do was smile back while his brain was slowly disintegrating from his own stupidity.

 

**To be continued!!**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: The boys have a sleepover, can Aomine keep his mouth shut? Probably not.


	4. Slip of the Tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *BOOM*

The two boys slowly grew closer to their destination, while the distance shortened  Aomine was racing for a way to escape the corner that he had put himself into. Other than the obvious reason to avoid the interaction, he didn’t even know what they were even going to do when they arrived. 

 

They had already played games before so that wasn’t a great option and they didn’t have many shared interests besides basketball. He was stuck in his own head and he was finding it increasingly harder to break free. 

 

It wasn’t long before they found themselves in front of Aomine’s house.

 

_ That’s it, I lost. I couldn’t figure out a single legitimate excuse to save myself. _

 

He pulled out his key and opened the door. It wasn’t until he heard the click of the latch behind him that he realized he was truly doomed. There was no way the two of them were gonna make it out of this house alive.

 

They both took off their shoes in silence. 

 

“So umm….did you want to cook something first? I think we have some stuff in the kitchen.”

 

“Yea that sounds great Aomine-kun.”

 

They walked into the kitchen, Kuroko sat at the table while Aomine began searching through the cabinets. 

 

“Did you want something to drink? I think we have tea and coffee. There might even be some juice or something in the fridge if you wanna check.”

 

“Actually, tea sounds great, thank you.”

 

Aomine began making the tea but he couldn’t help feeling like things were awkward between the two of them. It was like something strange and stagnant lingered in the air. They usually talked more than this when they were alone but for some reason it felt like they weren’t allowed to speak. 

 

_ Was it because of how I acted earlier? No, it can’t be. If Tetsu was weirded out then he wouldn’t have agreed to come over right? Right? _

 

Aomine grew paranoid and began feeling self-conscience about his actions. He could feel Tetsu observing him behind his back. 

 

He went to grab the hot tea cup from under the dispenser and instead of grabbing the cup by the handle he wrapped his hand around the base of the sweltering mug. He quickly jumped back and dropped the cup on the floor. It shattered on impact, boiling water splashed across the floor. 

 

“Oh shit, god dammit!!”

 

Aomine was getting a lot more irritated than he should have been over a cup breaking. He knelt down and began picking up the pieces. Kuroko came over to help him clean up the mess. 

 

“You don’t need to help, I got it. Just go sit down or you’re gonna end up cutting yourself!” 

 

He didn’t mean to snap and as soon as the words came out of his mouth he just felt even worse. 

 

_ Tetsu has been in the house for about 10 minutes. How am I going to last the entire night if I can’t even make a damn cup of tea _ ? 

 

“Aomine-kun.” Kuroko knelt down and grabbed his hand before looking deep into his eyes. Aomine felt his pulse quicken before he suddenly got a swift jab to the side. 

 

“Oi Tetsu, why do you always have to do that in the same spot?!” He rubbed his side, he was definitely going to bruise if Kuroko kept this up. 

 

As he rubbed his aching side he realized that all of the tension from a moment ago was gone. Aomine was always quick to lash out at people but instead of getting mad, Tetsu would always figure out a way to calm him down. He wished that method wasn’t always violence but he really couldn’t argue with the results. 

 

“Let me help you clean this up and then we can make something to eat  _ together _ okay.” Kuroko continued holding his hand for a minute before they began cleaning up the remainder of the shattered ceramic. 

 

They finished picking up the mess but Aomine  knew Kuroko could sense something was off because well, he always knew when something was wrong. It was one of his more inconvenient traits.

 

Kuroko finally turned and looked at Aomine, “Well what do you have that we can make? If you have the ingredients I could make us some omurice or tonkatsu. Other than that my cooking abilities are rather limited.”

 

“That’s way more than I can do so don’t worry about it, I think we have all the stuff for omurice though.”

 

“Alright then if you want to grab the ingredients I can get the pan and plates ready.”

 

Aomine began scrounging through the cabinets and gathering up the ingredients. While collecting he started thinking of topics they could talk about to break the uncomfortable silence. The only things he could come up with were basketball, practice, and Kise. He decided that talking about the latter was probably not the greatest idea since he was getting pissed just thinking about him. 

 

Aomine was slowly realizing that he really didn’t know much about Tetsu. Yes, they both shared a passion for basketball but did they share any other interests? What kind of movies did he like? What kind of music? Does he like either of those things? 

 

Aomine’s mind opened up to the endless list of things he didn’t know but wanted to know about Tetsu. He turned around, a list of questions on the tip of his tongue. 

 

When he finally turned around he saw something that nearly made him drop everything he had just collected. Kuroko had taken his mother's floral kitchen apron off the wall and put it on. Aomine’s pulse accelerated at the very sight of him. He quickly turned back around and tried not to think about how cute he was or how sexy he would look with nothing but the apron on. Anything he wanted to say was gone, 

 

“Oi Tetsu why the hell are you wearing that thing?!” 

 

Kuroko looked down at what he was wearing, “What do you mean? The apron? I don’t want to get my school uniform dirty so I’m just taking the necessary precautions.”

 

“Well…..you look ridiculous!”  Aomine was trying to hide the blush he felt growing on his cheeks. 

 

“I think you're the one being ridiculous. Now help me with the rice.”

 

Aomine did as he was told while trying his best not to look towards Kuroko. Every time he caught a glimpse of him he found his gaze would wander towards his friends back end. The bow from the apron sitting right at the curve of his small back made it hard to focus. 

 

They eventually finished cooking the meal without any more outbursts or broken dishes. Aomine was feeling better even though the silence was still looming in the air. After the apron incident, he decided that speaking probably wasn’t the greatest idea since his head was now filled to the brim with lewd thoughts.

 

The two of them grabbed their freshly made food. The omurice was perfectly folded, Tetsu had drawn a small cat on each of them with ketchup. It took all of Aomine’s willpower not to make a comment about how cute it was. 

 

They made their way upstairs to his room and skipped through the channels until they found an old basketball game on T.V. They ate in silence, both thoroughly engrossed in the game. After they finished their food Kuroko jumped up rather suddenly. 

 

“Aomine-kun would you mind if we went on a walk. I am feeling a little restless from watching that game.” 

 

“Watching others play just got you all pumped huh?” Aomine couldn’t help but laugh since he was feeling exactly the same. “Yea we can go, want to go play some one-on-one at the park? It’s late so I bet there isn’t anyone hanging around.”

 

Kuroko just nodded and the two of them grabbed a basketball and headed for the park. 

 

\------------

 

When they arrived at the park there wasn’t a soul around. The streetlights lit up the sidewalk and the cool fall breeze bit at the end of their noses. 

 

“It’s been awhile since we have played one-on-one together hasn’t it?” Aomine looked up at the sky. The stars weren’t as bright out tonight but he could still see their faint glimmer accenting the dark horizon. 

 

“Yes, it has, you have been playing a lot with Kise-kun recently. You two seem to get along well.”

 

Aomine thought of Kise hanging all over Kuroko, the memories of the conversation they had at this same park just a few days ago began filling his thoughts. He felt his head pound.  

 

“That blonde idiot can just keep up with me pretty well is all. He isn’t anything special.” 

 

He started dribbling the ball away from Kuroko. Trying to calm down the storm slowly building within him. 

 

“Aomine-kun you really don’t hide your true feelings very well.” 

 

“Whadda mean? It’s true. Kise is just more entertaining than the others that's all. Murasakibara doesn’t even like basketball, playing with Midorima is boring since he just shoots three’s, and there is no point in asking Akashi anything since he’s always with Nijimura.”

 

Aomine started shooting baskets with ease. Kuroko just stood to the side and watched the tall boy score point after point. The sound of the ball bouncing on the cement was loud against the quiet night. 

 

“Why is it so hard for you to admit that you get along with Kise-kun? It’s just us out here.”

 

Aomine continued shooting but the pounding in his head just grew more intense. Everything Kuroko was saying just irritated him. The last thing he wanted to think about right now was Kise, yet Kuroko kept bringing him up. Every time he thought of Kise now he just wanted to hit something. It was like flipping a switch that he had no way reaching. 

 

He threw the ball forcibly at the backboard. 

 

“I said I don’t get along with him! Why do you keep asking about it? I just want to be with you and not have to think about him. Can we just play already?!” 

 

Aomine’s head felt like it was about to explode. All the aggression that he had built up throughout the day was finally starting to leak out. He held the ball tightly in both hands, he was squeezing it so hard he thought it may just pop. 

 

“All Kise does is hang all over you and take up your time. I hate looking over during practice and seeing him buzzing around you. He tries to steal your passes to me while constantly asking me stupid questions and making weird assumptions like about us dating, he is just so fucking annoying.” 

 

Aomine could feel his pulse quicken, the floodgates were open and the tide was unstoppable. He turned away from Kuroko, still gripping the ball firmly in his hands. 

 

“Plus , on top of everything else, he found out I have a crush on you the other day!I just know that he is gonna find a way to  hold that over my head until I die!! So can we just play basketball and stop talking about him already!!”

 

Aomine started dribbling towards the hoop to take a shot until he realized what had just come out of his mouth. He stopped moving and held the ball in both hands again. He refused to turn around and look at Kuroko’s face, all he could do was hope that he hadn't heard that last part. 

 

“Aomine-kun.” Kuroko’s voice was soft, much softer than usual. 

 

Aomine continued looking into the distance, his knees felt weak and his pulse had yet to slow down. The wind blew and it was cold against his skin, the hairs began rising on his arm. 

 

He was afraid. All of the things he had been feeling over the past few days, and even the past month, were just all laid out on the court. Tetsu could see all of it, he could see all of  _ him _ . Panic settled into his stomach, it was heavy and bleak.

 

Aomine suddenly felt something warm touch the back of his arm. He knew exactly what it was but he wasn’t brave enough yet to turn around. 

 

“Aomine-kun, it’s alright.”

 

 _It’s alright_. _It’s alright??_ _There is no way that everything is alright_. 

 

Aomine just wanted to run away. It was the first time in his life that he genuinely wanted to just hide and never be found. His whole body felt cold except for the small hand on his arm. It was his only solace in that moment but even that did not make up for the overwhelming despair he felt in his heart. 

 

Aomine thought of all the fun experiences he had with Tetsu. He didn’t want those times to end, he wanted to make new memories and play more basketball together. All he wanted was to turn back the clock and take back what he said. 

 

He never found out what kind of movies Tetsu liked? Was he more into horror or romantic comedies? If it was the latter then Aomine wouldn’t have the chance to laugh at him. He wouldn’t be able to wrap his arm around those small shoulders anymore. He wouldn’t be able to ruffle his hair and feel that warm tingle on his palm. He wouldn’t be able to watch those large eyes over the rim of a vanilla milkshake anymore. 

 

The realization of all the things he was about to lose were utterly devastating. 

 

_ There is no way that Tetsu will stay friends with me after that. How could he? He is probably freaked out and just wants to leave and never look back at me. Why did I?.....I don’t want him to leave me behind. I don’t want to lose him.  _

 

“Aomine-kun, I promise it’s okay.” 

 

The small hand fell away as Kuroko came around to confront him. Aomine looked up and the two of them met eye to eye. Kuroko took the ball from Aomine’s hands and placed it on the ground. 

 

“Tetsu….I know you probably want to hit me or run or something.” Aomine just stared at the ground. Unable to make eye contact again. “I-I-I-I didn’t mean that last thing….I just….I don’t know. Kise gets me so pissed and then you kept talking about him and I just blew up and……”

 

“You’re looking away. Remember what I told you, I can tell that you're lying right now.” Kuroko grabbed ahold of Aomine’s hand. 

 

Aomine looked up, “Tetsu….I’m sorry…..I bet you just want to run as far away from me as possible right now and I don’t blame you.”

 

“What are you talking about?” 

 

Kuroko pinched the skin on the back of Aomine’s hand. He pulled it back and rubbed the spot that was rapidly turning red. 

 

“Tetsu stop trying to make me feel better. I know you’re freaked out so just go already!”

 

“Aomine-kun that’s what I’m trying to say. I am not freaked out and I’m certainly not going anywhere. Can we please go back to your house and talk? I think there is a lot we both want to say but it’s cold out and neither of us are dressed for the weather. I promise I’m not going to leave.”

 

Aomine had no clue what to think, let alone say. All he could do was nod in agreement and walk towards home. 

 

\----------

 

They quickly fell into step but no words were spoken. It wasn’t long until they finally arrived. Aomine unlocked the door and as usual, the interior was empty and dark. For once, he was thankful that his mother was never around. 

 

The boys walked up the stairs in silence, Kuroko sat on the bed while Aomine closed the door before sitting down beside him. 

 

“Tetsu I don’t know what you want me to say. You’re missing out on a golden opportunity to escape right now. I won’t stop you.” 

 

“I already told you I’m not escaping anywhere. Just tell me the truth, there isn’t anyone around now. It’s just you and me, so please, I just want to hear what you have to say.”

 

“There isn’t anything left to say. I blurted it all out like an asshole earlier. I know you heard me say it…..the part about me….you know….maybe liking you more than just a friend or something.” 

 

Aomine knew there was no point hiding anything anymore. He may as well lay it all out on the table. Their friendship was over anyway, there was no going back. 

 

“When we hang out sometimes I get all stupid…..like more than usual and….I kinda have dreams about you sometimes where we aren’t just playing basketball.”

 

Aomine could feel the flush rising on his cheeks but he refused to look away. 

 

“I can’t stop looking at you even though every time I do it feels like my heart is about to explode. I hate seeing you with other people and I just get so angry that I want to run up and beat the shit out of them. I want to spend every day with you, not just playing basketball but also hanging out together and being together and I just….. ”

 

Aomine kept waiting for the small boy to bolt out the door but it never happened. There was no backing away or freaking out. It was just Tetsu being Tetsu. He was literally confessing his feelings to his best friend, who was a guy, and yet Kuroko didn’t even bat an eyelash. 

 

“Hey, are you listening to me right now? How the hell are you not freaked out?”

 

There was just a long silence, Aomine was looking Kuroko right in the eyes and then after a minute or two, without warning, Kuroko leaned across the bed. He was so close that he he was nearly sitting on Aomine’s lap. He didn’t say a word, he just stared directly into Aomine’s eyes. He could feel his cheeks turning a darker shade of red from the sudden close contact. Kuroko was only inches away from his face. 

 

“You’re not lying to me.” Kuroko did not word it as a question. 

 

“Of course I’m not! Why the hell would I…….”

 

Aomine’s words were cut off. 

 

Kuroko closed the distance between them and pressed his lips firmly against Aomine’s. Aomine’s entire body tightened. Kuroko stayed there for a moment, his lips lingering close, just barely hovering, Aomine could feel their hot breath mingling together. 

 

Kuroko’s eyes were closed even as he began to slowly back away. Aomine’s lips tingled and his whole body was humming. Heat began rising deep in his stomach. 

 

They both sat on the bed speechless. The silence permeated the air for what felt like an eternity. The wind beat against the window and the house swayed under its strength. 

 

Aomine was the first to break the through the dead air. “Tetsu...I don’t understand…..what was….I mean…..why did you?....” 

 

His heart felt heavy and weightless at the same time. It was a strange sensation. All the things he had been feeling over the past few weeks were all out in the open. His soul was on display for only Kuroko to witness and he responded to it, not with words but an action. An action that Aomine didn’t know how to address.

 

“Aomine-kun, I should be the one to say I’m sorry. I have also been keeping things from you and that isn’t fair.” 

 

Kuroko looked to the side, he appeared ashamed. It was the first time Aomine had ever seen his friend make such an expression. 

 

“Tetsu…..I still don’t understand. What are you saying?”

 

Kuroko went to jab Aomine in the side but he was too slow and Aomine dodged before grabbing ahold of his hand. The small boy looked to the side, his cheeks were red and his skin felt hot in Aomine’s grip. 

 

“Oi! I just told you everything that you asked me too and now you're saying that you’re hiding things? Well spill it already! Why did you kiss me just now?! If you don’t tell me straight then I probably won’t get it so just tell me what the hell is going on here?”

 

“I think it may be fairly obvious at this point what I have been hiding from you.”

 

“Well I already told you to fucking spell it out, cause it seems to me that you either pity me or that you feel the same way as I do. I’m just too messed up right now to figure it out which one so just stop playing this game and tell me.”

 

Aomine was still holding Kuroko's hand. He had been so flustered from the kiss that he really wasn’t thinking about what he was saying before the words were already shooting out of his mouth. 

 

He stopped to think for a moment before Kuroko could reply again. Aomine thought about the relationship they had built up, but it was so hard to think clearly. His head felt like it was covered in a thick fog. 

 

He knew Kuroko had kissed him but why would he do that? 

 

_ Tetsu wouldn’t just do that out of pity and he definitely wouldn’t do that if he was pissed at me so why? The only thing I can think of is that he likes me too but why wouldn’t he say anything before? Tetsu is always open about that shit so why?  _

 

He thought about how long he had been hiding his true feelings for his best friend. How afraid he was to even utter the words. 

 

_ Did Tetsu feel the same way this whole time? Was he just as scared as me? Was he afraid that I would run away from our friendship? That I would be the one to leave everything behind? _

 

_ I guess there is only one way to find out. What the hell, I don’t have anything to lose. _

 

Aomine let go of Kuroko’s hand before quickly leaning over him to press their lips together for a second time; but, this time there was no lingering or hesitation. Aomine gently placed his hand behind Kuroko’s head and pressed his lips down firmly, a sense of urgency was surging through his body.

 

Kuroko didn’t back away but instead returned the action with increasing ferocity. The time between kisses decreased as they both seized each other, breaking away only to breathe.

 

The air was hot from their gasps as neither of them let up from one another. Aomine began to lose control, the fog was consuming his mind. As their mouths opened again Aomine allowed his tongue to wander and explore the warmth. Their tongues and saliva began to meld together, lips becoming slick. It was as though an electric current was flowing through their body. 

 

Kuroko let out a small moan and it sent shivers down Aomine’s spine. He pushed Kuroko down forcefully onto the bed and continued his barrage. His hands were sweating as they began to stray, they found themselves resting on Kuroko’s chest and then slowly working down to his hip. 

 

“A-A-Aomine-kun” Kuroko’s breath was ragged, the pace of his exhales sped up with each kiss. 

 

“Tetsu…” Aomine let out a low groan as he began to work his mouth down Kuroko’s slender neck. 

 

The surrounding space was beginning to feel heavy, almost suffocating. Aomine wasn’t sure how much time had passed, everything around him blurred, all he saw was Tetsu. His small frame beneath him and the contrast between his dark skin and Kuroko’s pale complexion. He found himself unable to break away. 

 

Suddenly something burst through the heated fog and Aomine felt a flat hand push against his chest. He was still panting as he pulled himself away from Kuroko’s warm flesh. 

 

“T-t-this wasn’t what I was expecting when I suggested we come back to your house to talk.” 

 

Kuroko’s face was still flush, his eyes lingering with leftover ecstasy. They both sat back on the bed, no eye contact was made. Aomine reached up and scratched the back of his head, unsure of his next course of action. 

 

“Well I guess I know what you have been hiding from me now.” Aomine couldn’t help but laugh. 

 

He had been avoiding Kuroko this entire time because he was afraid what would happen if his friend were to discover his true feelings. Now that everything was transparent it all worked surprisingly in his favor. He continued to laugh as he tipped over and leaned on Kuroko’s shoulder. 

 

“I don’t understand what you are laughing at Aomine-kun.”

 

“You don’t think this is funny at all? I have been hiding this from you for weeks now and then I just fucking blurted it out on accident earlier and how do you react?! You kiss me and not just once, like, we literally just made out on my bed in my empty house.” Aomine finally got his laughing under control and straightened up to face Kuroko. 

 

Kuroko stared back at Aomine with his usual blank expression. All the flush was gone from his face, nearly all traces of their previous activity was gone except for his hair which was bent in all directions. 

 

“Well I knew you were hiding it from me quite a while ago. You're not very subtle you know.”

 

“Oi are you serious?! I thought I was hiding it from you really well. When did you find out?! Did that bastard Kise say something to you?”

 

“Kise-kun didn’t have to tell me. I observe people every day and that isn’t limited to strangers. I noticed when you started changing your habits around me, especially when we were alone.”

Aomine felt his face turn that familiar shade of red. 

 

“I started to develop similar feelings for you but I wanted you to realize your own feelings by yourself. I didn’t want you to ever feel uncomfortable. I think Kise-kun also discovered how you felt. When I noticed, I asked him not to push you but he felt it necessary to push regardless of my opinion.”

 

“I’m gonna kill that bastard next time I see him.”

 

“Aomine-kun I really do think Kise-kun had good intentions. He just has no patience.”

 

“Hey wait you just said you had similar feelings for me so do this mean that we are dating now? Like can we make out anytime? Like now?”

 

Aomine went in for another kiss before Kuroko shot him a threatening gaze. Aomine instinctively covered his sides and backed away. 

 

“Okay okay I promise I’ll calm down, but for real though. What happens now?”

 

Aomine had never really given any thought at all to the possibility that Tetsu would return his feelings. He assumed the only possible outcome to his confession would be them breaking their friendship and never talking again, but; now he knew that that wasn’t really the case. 

 

Yes they were both guys and that made things complicated all by itself but Aomine didn’t really care about that anymore. He admits that when he first discovered he had feelings for Tetsu he was pretty concerned. He thought that ignoring his feeling would make them go away but that really didn’t work out well for him. 

 

Aomine found out that the more he tried not to think about him the harder everything got. He had dreams more frequently and Tetsu would even make appearances when he jerked off. Now that he knew Tetsu returned his feelings he definitely wasn’t going to ruin this opportunity. He never wanted to think about losing his again. 

 

“I think we should just take things slow. I am also pretty unfamiliar with how things normally progress from here since this is a first of many things for me.”

 

“What do you mean first of many? Are you saying that was your first kiss ever? Did I seriously just take your mouth virginity?!?”

 

Aomine was gleaming, Kuroko did not share the sentiment

 

“Is it really necessary to word it like that?”

 

Aomine just couldn’t hold back his laughter. This night was shaping up to be one hell of an emotional roller coaster. 

 

“Aomine-kun I wish you would stop laughing at my expense.”

 

“I’m sorry Tetsu I just can’t help it. You’re just so cute when you’re flustered and now I can say that out loud and it doesn’t even matter.”

 

Aomine laid his head down on Kuroko’s lap. 

 

“It feels so good not to hide things from you anymore. It made me feel super shitty all the time and the headaches were starting to get really old. I just didn’t expect the day to end like this when I woke up this morning. I’m just really happy.”

 

Kuroko couldn’t help but smile, he lightly brushed his fingers through Aomine’s hair. Aomine closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation. He never would have imagined in a million years this would be happening to him. His eyes started to feel heavy and he slowly fell asleep to the soft and gentle fingers that embraced him.

 

\-----------

  
  


Aomine woke up with soft sunlight coming through the blinds, it felt warm as the sun rested across his face. He was slow to realize his surroundings, he hadn’t slept that well in a long time. His head felt so clear and crisp. 

 

He wasn’t ready to get up yet, he went to tug the blanket up over his shoulders but it was caught on something. He gave it a harder jerk and it finally gave way, at the same moment a small tuft of blue hair poked out of the newly uncovered section of the mattress. Aomine almost fell off the bed until all the memories of yesterday came flowing back to him. 

 

He slowly pulled the blanket away and saw Tetsu’s sleeping face along with that adorable bed head. He continued to sleep, it was as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Aomine just looked at him and smiled. 

 

Aomine pulled the covers back over the two of them and snuggled close to the small boy. He gathered him in his arms and was surprised when Kuroko nuzzled his head into Aomine’s chest. He just rested his head on Kuroko’s hair and breathed deep, he smelled like vanilla. Aomine tried to recall a time in his life that he had been happier than he was in that moment. 

 

After shuffling through countless basketball memories he continually came back to the same conclusion. This was the greatest moment in his life. He had never felt so warm and comforted before, this small, pale, invisible boy had made him feel so special and wanted yet all he was doing was sleeping in his arms. 

 

He never wanted this to end. 

 

Aomine felt a small shift in his embrace, Kuroko slowly opened up his eyes and looked up at him, his eyes half open shying away from the incoming sunlight. 

 

“Good morning Aomine-kun” A smile sleepy smile graced his pale face. 

 

“Hey, good morning Tetsu” Aomine just smiled as he brushed the hair out of Tetsu’s face, he slowly leaned down to kiss his best friend's soft lips.  

  
  
  
**TO BE CONTINUED!**  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy this chapter took longer than expected, these boys are killing me! I hope you all enjoyed it and hopefully, Chapter 5 won't be too far behind. I am starting classes again this week so I'm hoping to finish the next chapter before things get too hectic! 
> 
>  
> 
> Come yell at me anytime on [Tumblr.](http://shootmesenpai.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said this is the first fic that I have ever written and I really hope everyone enjoys it. Any feedback at all would be very much appreciated!


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